Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Merle managed to convince me to put the idea of wards to the side for now.
"Best stick with yer strengths," he talks around a mouth full of breakfast. "Don't go risking yer life trying to do fancy hoodoo that you ain't ever tried before when there's other stuff yer good at."
It's oddly wise in a way. So after breakfast, I take a nap for just a couple hours. Then it's time to get to work fortifying this place. Merle and Daryl both tag along while the others are safe inside the house.
"Magic isn't just wand waving and fancy words," I explain as we walk along the fence. "I don't just wave my hand and make something appear. I need something to work with first in order to create something new."
"Like that law of physics," Merle blows out a thick puff of cigarette smoke, throwing a prideful smirk at his brother. "Caint nothin be created or destroyed, it just changes form, or some such."
Daryl scoffs but I quickly point out that he's right.
"An object's mass is a set amount. You can stretch it thinner or make it more dense. You can combine object's but you can't truly create something from nothing. Even if it's the water or smoke in the air, you are using something to create something else."
"So what are YOU gonna do?" Daryls asks pointedly.
I point to the rather flimsy old wooden fence. The beams are thin with wide gaps between them. It looks more decorative than functional. It certainly isn't going to stop the dead if they come this way.
"If I transform this wood fence into a tall metal one, it will be about as sturdy as aluminum foil," I explain while transfiguring a portion into a ten foot tall, solid metal wall.
Daryl steps up to it curiously, rapping his knuckles against it. Merle hums thoughtfully, pulls a knife from a sheath at his waist, and throws it with a metallic ding as it slices into the wall.
"So, how do you make it strong?" Daryl asks, pulling his brother's knife from the wall.
"By increasing its mass," I explain, unshrinking a tall stack of boardgames still wrapped up on their pallet from the CDC although I'm not sure why they had them.
A cutting charm peels away the plastic wrapping while a levitation spell moves twenty long flat boxes against the transfigured wall. A press of magic melds the pieces into one and lets them strengthen the wall evenly. I nod to Merle who throws his knife again only for it to ping off of the metal wall without leaving a scratch.
Both share an impressed glance. Merle grabs up his knife, going so far to try to stab the wall only for it to make a harsh sound but leave no mark. He hums thoughtfully, " You got enough games to make the whole thing like this?"
I shrug a little helplessly, "I've gathered a lot of supplies but... I don't want to waste supplies if I can help it."
"Can ya use anything?" Daryl asks curiously, "Like Styrofoam?"
"Yes and no," I wiggle my hand back and forth. "When transforming an item, you want it to become a similar item. So wood to metal, flower to fruit, shirt to blanket. Are you with me so far?"
Merle mutters a yeah while Daryl stays silent and watchful.
"It's easy to turn a matchstick into a sewing needle or a rose into an apple, although the apple would hold no nutritional value," I explain. "Turning a treebranch into a sword will work in a pinch, but there are some things that do not mold easily to magics power."
"So, ya caint reuse plastic spoons and take-away containers?"
"No, plastic tends to feel too stiff, like wood ashes burnt so much you can't turn it back into wood. Styrofoam just feels..." How do I explain that one? "It feels like a mix between mushrooms and concrete and it tends to do its own thing. If you try to turn a box into a bowl? Maybe. Try to turn it into a rose? Not a chance."
"Ever seen a chupacabra?" Daryl blurts out rushed as if he's been holding back the question for ages.
"Not personally, but I do know they are native to the Americas," I smile when Daryl throws his brother a smug smirk while Merle grumbles under his breath.
"I have seen mountain trolls, centaurs, dragons, unicorns, and a whole slew of other creatures."
Both brothers nod at that, although both look stunned at the admittedly shirt list. Merle motions to the wall, telling me to get to it while he and Daryl keep watch.
I work in segments because it's easier that way. Each segment is six feet long, ten feet tall, and a half foot thick. For each section, I add twenty or so boxed games. What I don't tell the brothers is that the walls are not solid all the way through. The insides are a bit more webbed together while all of the strength is in the outer wall.
Its slow work.
We have the whole front fence transfigured by lunchtime but it takes the whole afternoon to complete just one side. I ran out of games quickly and switched to the beds from the CDC that I had shrunken. After those ran out, I used the mattresses.
Merle only stayed for the morning. After lunch, he left Daryl to guard me while he went to raid nearby homes for supplies. Daryl stays near even if it must be boring work.
Mrs. Carol had supper ready when we came trudging back inside. The whole house smells of fresh baked bread and roasted tomatoes. She scoffs, ordering us both to shower and cleanup while she putters proudly around the kitchen. Asher grins from his place at the table, making silly faces at the baby cuddled in Sophia's arms even if the baby is too small to do more than blink back.